We kill ourselvesIn the pursuit of perfectionBecause we’ve been toldAll our livesThat if we work hard enoughWe can have anything we want

We don’t want to be who we areNo matter how kindOr lovingOr givingOr fairWe want to be somebody else

What would we accomplishIf we shared the message That kindAnd loving And givingAnd fairAre enough?That beauty manifests itself in those acts?What if we said You can only have your bodyAnd it is uniquely yoursBeautiful and wornAs sea glass?What if we allowed ourselves to feel it?Rather than telling everyone else

I waste timeAnd energyBeing unkindUnloving UngivingUnfair To myselfFor things I cannot changeFor damage I didn’t doFor being a bottle thrown into the wavesTossedBrokenGloss dulled

I was never a bottleBut fleshSoftRoundedMarked by sharp edges and wordsI work to undo it allTo unfight the battles I’ve won or lostTo make firm my softnessCamouflage my me-ness To be someone elseSomething elseAnother battle already lostKnowing it might kill me